For many kids, having lunch at school can be the most important meal of the day. Lunch helps fuel them so they have enough energy and are able to stay alert in class.

When Parker Garza came home crying about what had happened at school that day, his mother Loretta couldn’t believe it! The first-grader hadn’t been able to eat.

Following his normal routine, Parker made his way through the lunch line and picked up his tray. Before he had a chance to sit down, one of the cafeteria workers took it out of his hands and threw it away.

Parker didn’t have any money in his account. So instead, they gave him a cheese sandwich to eat.

Classmates began to tease and bully the boy, calling him poor. The other students knew that a cheese sandwich meant that student wasn’t able to afford a “real meal” like his or her peers.

“If they are going to throw it away, why waste it,” asked Loretta. “There is no point of that. There are a lot of kids out there starving.”

Loretta claims she never received notification of the insufficient funds in his lunch account. However, the school officials at Aloe Elementary in San Antonio, Texas say they did send her a letter.

According to Victoria Independent School District, they are prohibited from providing meals to students if they cannot pay for them. If they do, they’ll be in violation of the regulations set by the USDA.

This isn’t the first time a school district has been in the news for children being denied lunch. Haralson County School District received social media outcry after a bus driver exposed an incident over a middle school student going hungry.

“I just want this to be fixed. I don’t want my child to ever go through that again,” said Loretta. The mother says the same thing happened the year prior to her older son.

She’s hoping the school will start doing a better job communicating with parents so their kids don’t have to be bullied, like hers. Her story is not uncommon, and should be heard and addressed. Bullying is already a significant issue in the school system and kids don’t need more ways to make them targets.